On June 12, the National Council of Textile Organizations filed public comments with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative outlining the U.S. textile industry's priorities in the forthcoming renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

"The U.S. textile industry welcomes President Trump's decision to renegotiate NAFTA," said NCTO Chairman William V. McCrary Jr., Chairman and CEO of William Barnet & Son, LLC, in Spartanburg, South Carolina. "It is in America's national interest to modernize the agreement and NCTO is eager to work with President Trump to make it even better.

"Let me be clear: NAFTA is vital to the prosperity of the U.S. textile industry, and NCTO steadfastly supports continuing the agreement. With that said, NAFTA can be improved to incentivize more textile and apparel jobs and production in the United States, Canada and Mexico," McCrary added. "Eliminating loopholes that shift production to third-party countries like China and devoting more customs enforcement resources to stop illegal third-country transshipments are two changes that would make the agreement better.

"We look forward to working with our industry partners throughout the NAFTA region to improve this agreement for all," McCrary finished.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer formally notified Congress on May 18 that President Trump intended to renegotiate NAFTA.